News : Nuclear

INU- StaffThe Trump administration has focused heavily on the Iran threat and is currently implementing the maximum pressure campaign that it announced earlier this year. Trump has made it very clear that he will not tolerate Iran’s belligerence and any threat that it is responsible for.

Other officials in the U.S. administration are being equally forceful when it comes to Iran, most notably Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Pompeo said a few months ago that the administration is working on finding a way to put a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Previous to this, the Secretary of State listed twelve demands that Iran must adhere to before the United States will consider treating it like a “normal nation”. The demands were focused on the regime’s nuclear program, its domestic behaviour and its interference in the Middle East.

John Bolton has spoken about the administration’s intention to “squeeze” Iran as hard as possible. He said earlier this year that the United States wants to “put unprecedented pressure on the government of Iran to change its behaviour”. He said: “They should not underestimate our determination that we’re going to put pressure on them until they give up their pursuit of nuclear weapons and all the other activities that I mentioned. That, we are very serious about.”

However, the U.S. policy is not working as effectively as it could be. The Trump administration is focusing on containing the Iran threat but it could really go a step further.

Pulling out of the joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as it is known, was a very good start. The deal was appalling and did not really do anything to curb the Iran threat. And the sanctions that have been re-imposed are essential to cut the regime off from the funding that it uses to support its various militias and proxy groups across the region.

However, instead of focusing on containment, it would be even better if the United States could move towards actively pushing Iran back to its own borders. And to pushing the proxies and militias back to their own countries too.

The real key, though, is the main opposition to the Iranian regime. The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) which is part of the National Council of Resistance (NCRI) – the largest coalition of groups and dissidents that want democratic change in Iran, knows the Iranian regime better than anyone.

The PMOI / MEK and the NCRI are actively supporting the people of Iran who have been taking to the streets since the end of last year. Their shared goal is freedom, democracy and human rights in Iran and they know that the only way this will ever be possible will be via regime change.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, has a ten-point plan for the future of Iran. It is a roadmap for democratic rule and political freedom. Supporting the opposition, the United States can play a big role in ensuring that Iran is one day free.